I have a friend from germany coming over today, and was thinking of taking her out on the bike tomorrow evening, for a bit of “London by night, 2 wheel style”.
I live in Kennington, so was going to hop over Vauxhall Bridge, up to Buck House, from there up the mall to Trafalgar Square, up To Picc Circus, then Up Regents Street, to Regents Park, up through Camden, then back down Charing X Road, take in a bit of Soho before heading east towards St. Pauls, the Tower and then back over Tower Bridge.
Any recomendations for other places to bumble past?
canary wharf always impressive,millenium dome, if u wana trek out a wee bit the dartford crossing (make sure you go north-south or youll end up going through the tunnel), or pop up to ace cafe and wonder at the marvel of the new wmbly stadium rising over the horizon
Take her from the Docklands and ride along the Embankment to Chelsea. Fantastic ride along the river at dusk. Just be very careful for the speed cameras on the Embankment and for lurking plod on the Blackfriars to Westminster Bridge stretch (see road watch section).
and if you go along victoria embankment, really nice at night, you can see across at london eye, etc etc, but watch out for the new speed cameras near the walkabout bar
Yeah - take in Parliament Square - Also Knightsbridge as Harrods is usually lit up you’d also take in Albert Hall and Albert Memorial - again lit up at night with the park as a backdrop.
If you come from Green Park to Picadilly, turn up Regent Street and go past Oxford Street - worth a ride by to see the crowds. Come back down and go up Shatesbury avenue and then turn right down charing cross road (more crowds!) and get to Trafalgar Square that way - you can come down Whitehall and end up back at Parliament Square ready to head along the embankment.
Must say its never really struck me to take in the sites around London by bike but you seem to make it sound so exciting will have to give it a whirl when I get a chance. TTFN
Be careful around the West End at night though… too many crazy pedestrians in the road, and with a pillion your stopping distance is increased.
Here are a few scenic moments of London riding I would want to add:
– Gunning down the A40 eastbound, towards the BT Tower
– Coming down the M11 from the M25 with rolling fields in the foreground and the skyline of Carnary Wharf in the distance
– Going around Carnary Wharf and looking at the tube station and One Canada Square
– Going over Tower Bridge!
– Flying down the North Circular Road over the Brent Cross bridge with the Wembley Stadium in the background
defo fun, i used to do it all the time with my gal on the back, esp at this time of yr, nice cool breeze, smell of trees as you roll down embankment, looking across at the lit up sky, and the rippling reflections of the lights in the river, across tower bridge with breathtaking views on either side
canary wharf lit up lik e a man made christmas tree, and
not as much traffic around as during the day either
I thought everyone had done this at least once?!?!?!
I love riding round london at night, which is handy, because I usually get lost, and don’t have a choice, but it’s amazing to realise how different a commute/ride into work can be from going out for the pleasure of it… the west end was a total blast last night, i did Camben -> Earls Court in about 20 mins, traffic or no traffic, peds or not… amazing run - and i felt on fire, was seeing **** before it happened and mirrors and life savers were all perfect… not even so much as a close-call… and because of the volume of traffic, and peds… i wasn’t even really breaking the speed limit, i got upto 40 a couple of times… but that was fun
A lovely lady is being kind enoguh to take me for a ride tonight…so maybe i’ll get a chance to be sensible?
The best bridge in London for an overall view at night is Waterloo … there’s even a song about it !!
Don’t forget that one.
Does Greenwich park shut at night ? If not, that’ll be the best view of Canary Wharf etc, coming down Shooters Hill road (by the old nick) back into town is a cracking view of London at night from a distance as is some of the roads around Crystal Palace.
Oli, I’m in Kennington as well and quite often take an hours ride at night if I’m awake and bored, look out for a silver and black CBR600 with a black jacket and lid whizzing along Kennington Lane.
